A collection of reviews of films from off the beaten path; a travel guide for those who love the cinematic world and want more than the mainstream releases.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Tale of Tales (2015) opens Friday

Matteo Garrone's trio of fairy tales is going to delight some with its ghoulish wares while others are going to be less enthralled by the unevenness of the presentation.

Based on stories by Giambattista Basile the film relates the stories of three sets of royalty who get into trouble with their desires. In one a barren queen wishes to have a child and she sends her husband to get a sea monsters heart so she may have a child. In the next a king falls in with a woman he can not see but who sings beautifully. In the last a king becomes fascinated with a magical beat which results in a contest to find a husband for a princess.

A beautiful to look at film the stories are the sort of dark tales that would have been sanitized into oblivion by Disney. There is sex and blood and general nastiness that makes this film not appropriate for children. Don't get fooled by how good this film looks it gets rather gruesome at times.

For me the film was a mixed bag. While I like the film over all some of it seemed to go on a bit too long. Additionally the international cast was uneven. While no one is bad, its simply that there are times when it seems that the mix of languages and acting styles made for a bumpy ride.

And yet despite my reservations I am kind of giddy that a film such as this exists. The fact that anyone would make a series of fairy tales for adults delights me to no end. More so that there was no effort to water down the darkness in the tales. I had a blast watching the film I just wish it could have been perfect.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes fairy tales uncensored or likes a good adult fantasy.